A/N: Amazingly I've been able to finally conjure up my long-lost interest to write fanfictions and start another new literary venture. This will be a commitment that I will try to keep, so wonderful readers, be patient with me and may you enjoy what my imagination has in store for you.

Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or anything relating to the anime or manga.

Rating: Varies from PG to R among the chapters. Read at your own discretion.

Category: Drama, Science Fiction/Supernatural, Alternate Universe, some Angst; and the occasional OOC: Out of Character

Firefly

The Prelude

A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon – Napoleon

"I thought he and I had an agreement! Katsura is insane to have started the revolution now! The country has barely recovered from the war waged twenty years ago! I demand to know what is going on, and I refuse to comply with any requests from him until I know what the hell is happening."

A young man stood up from a stone bench; one hand casually slipped into the pocket of his trench coat and tossed a manila envelope to the older, gruffer gentleman behind him. The gruff man feigned coolness and carefully ripped open the envelope only to find a black, smaller and coarser envelope within.

"My apologies, but I know of nothing regarding the issue between you and him. As for the revolution, no agreement could have prevented Lord Katsura from making the decision he did. The time was right; the people were ready; and the revolution began. I suggest that you comply with Lord Katsura's request, and that you place aside any embitterment you may feel in the broken contract you and him now share. If there is any further development in the matter I'm sure you will be contacted."

The young man straightened his shoulders and began to quietly assimilate into the hustle and bustle of the crowded Tokyo street, when a sudden cynical chuckle from behind halted his movements.

"Katsura must love having you around, kid. You've really bought into the bullshit he's been talking about haven't you? Don't you see? You're just a pawn in his little game. We're all pawns, waiting to be sacrificed into this 'ideal' he's created. This isn't a revolution; it's a war of the fittest. You may not have been around to see the fucking atrocities civil wars and revolutions have caused, but I sure as hell have." The man snorts and stands up. "You suggest that I comply with his requests, I suggest that you get your naïve ass out of this before you're waist deep in this idealistic shit."

With his jaws tightening and grinding into his bones, the young man deeply struggled to keep cool against the fury burning within his chest. He heard a shuffle behind him as the older figure began to limp away. Another cynical cackle breaks the silence between them.

"I've seemed to have upset you. The Bakufu better be careful with you. I'm sure that anger will definitely do you well amidst the pandemonium in Kyoto." With another sarcastic snort, and another shuffle, the man disappeared into the broken alleys of Tokyo.

Lightly shaking away stray crimson locks from his fiery view, the young man swallowed his rage and stepped into the boisterous morning crowd. He had only a few days to make it back in Kyoto and he had no time for loitering.

"Why did daddy leave Dr. Gensai?"

Dr. Gensai looked down at the sweet young girl before him. She was clutching his shirt with her little fists, searching his face with her bright blue, tear-strained eyes for the answer to her sorrow. It broke the old doctor's heart to see her so pained without her father, but he also knew by looking through her despairing and expressive eyes that to tell her of war and the flaws of man would be too much for a girl only five years of age. Reaching around with his weathered hands, Dr. Gensai held the little sweetheart against his chest and muttered the only euphemized answer he knew.

"Sometimes, my little one, adults need to attend to important businesses far, far away, and even fight for things that—"

"What things Dr. Gensai? Why would daddy go fight? I thought daddy always wanted to protect people, not fight them? I heard you talking to daddy before about a…a… reblu-shun or something!"

Dr. Gensai's eyes suddenly widened and in seeing him slightly taken aback, Kaoru immediately dropped her view in shy shame.

"I… I know mommy always told me it was wrong to eavesdrop, but...but I had to know where daddy was going. I wanted to know why he was leaving us."

Dr. Gensai subtly smiled and tilted her chin up with his fingers. Fresh tears cascaded down her cheeks.

"Why Dr. Gensai? If it is dangerous like you said to daddy that night, why did he go? Why isn't daddy here Dr. Gensai?"

"Listen little Kaoru. I don't think anyone can always answer with the real reason 'why'. But I know one thing, and that is that your father isn't just fighting for just anything. Your father left to fight for your protection. He wants you to have a childhood he couldn't have, he wants you to have a wonderful new era to live in. He wants the best for you. That's why he left. He wants to give you everything in the world that he never got--"

Kaoru buried her face into the doctor's chest and choked out a sob.

"But I don't want everything in the world… I just want daddy!"

The old doctor smiled a soft, pensive smile, and comforted her gently with a rub on her back.

"I know my little one, I know. But I assure you, everything will be alright."

"You promise? Oh please promise me Dr. Gensai! Promise me daddy will come back!"

Although hating to lie to Kaoru, he knew he had no choice. The way her sad hopeful eyes looked at him made him want nothing but to take the pain away from her fragile soul. Dr. Gensai ignored the nagging guilt already building in his chest and soothingly replied.

"Yes. I promise little Kaoru. Daddy will come back."

After many emotionally draining hours comforting Kaoru and finishing up the day's last prescriptions to his patients, Dr. Gensai found himself very relieved to have finally accomplished his daily tasks and putting Kaoru to bed. He had decided to let her stay at his home and clinic for a while until he could find a good family friend or nurse to assist in his guardianship to Kaoru. Although Dr. Gensai had had children and grandchildren of his own, having to suddenly take care of such a young girl while running a clinic at his age was definitely difficult to juggle. Kaoru's father had tried very hard to avoid the calling of the revolution, but after many months trying to fend off the draft he knew he had no choice but to finally leave. Dr. Gensai remembered the conversations he had with the late Kamiya-Kasshin master. He was always so strong, level-headed, and spoke of nothing but what was best for the country and for his only daughter. But beyond the tough exterior, Dr. Gensai could always see the underlying concern in the man's eyes. He was worried, so worried, for his little girl. He wanted to help fight for a better and freer Japan, but the welfare of Kaoru always held him back. Dr. Gensai had persistently promised to take care of Kaoru if he wanted to leave, but he always insisted that he wasn't going to fight. He refused the police and everyone else that came to his dojo; until finally, they came. They told him that the revolution would soon spread to Tokyo, and that if he did not join to fight the cause and utilize his skills in swordsmanship, the very protection he sought for his daughter would be taken away by the fires of war.

Dr. Gensai silently made his way upstairs and into Kaoru's room. Trying to prevent the usual creeks of his antique home, he carefully opened door. Seeing the serene image of Kaoru sleeping in the moonlit sea of fluffy white comforters and pillows, made the old doctor suddenly feel a painful knot catch in the depths of his throat. Why must such innocent souls pay for the crimes of corrupt men? Why must such sweet girls have to cope with the pain of loss, the sorrows of death, and the loneliness of life at such a tender age? What has Kaoru ever done but love – but wonder – and live life with all it has to offer? After so many decades of fighting, was peace too much to ask for?

Stepping into the room, the old doctor quietly shuffled to the bed and sat down on the edge. Taking his wrinkled hand, Dr. Gensai lifted it up and softly caressed aside loose strands of hair from Kaoru's porcelain brow. Watching his god-daughter's calm steady breathing, Dr. Gensai suddenly hit a realization and felt the strings of grief tug at his heart. He was most likely sitting next to the only surviving Kamiya. He blinked back tears that his aged heart longed to let out. He had always thought of the Kamiya's not only as his kind and loving neighbors, but rather as extended family. From the day Kaoru's parents moved into the house down the street to the day Kaoru's father left to fight, he was always there to help the Kamiya's.

A sudden faint calling broke Dr. Gensai's thoughts. Someone was hammering on the clinic's doors with great urgency. Cautious to not wake the sleeping girl, the doctor got up from the bed and quickly made his way downstairs.

A muffled – yet familiar – voice was shouting through the clinic's hardwood doors.

"Dr. Gensai! Dr. Gensai! We need your help! Please hurry! "

Dr. Gensai walked to the large doors and unlocked them. He opened the door slightly and peered through.

In front of him stood a tall well-built man in his early twenties; his hair was disheveled and his clothes were covered in perspiration. Even though at first puzzled as to who this man was, Dr. Gensai soon recalled the familiar voice that was only heard moments ago. This mess of a man and his family were patients of his for many years.

"My God Kyosuke! Are you alright? You're going to wake the whole neighborhood with your hollering."

"I'm sorry Dr. Gensai. I know you're already closed for the night, but it's – it's Naomi!" Kyosuke panted, "She's gone into labor!"

"What? But she isn't due for another three weeks!"

"I- I know sir. But her water just suddenly broke." The old doctor pushed aside the door and let the frantic man into the clinic. "She's in a lot pain, she's panicking – Hell, I'm panicking! I wanted to take her to the hospital on the other side of town but I was afraid we wouldn't make it! Oh God, I – I don't know what to do Dr. Gensai!"

Dr. Gensai closed the door and sighed. "It's going to be alright. Just calm down for a moment and breathe; panicking won't do anyone good."

Kyosuke turned and faced Dr. Gensai with a frenzied look.

"Please Dr. Gensai," he pleaded, "Please come help Naomi. I… I don't know what to do."

The doctor's mind immediately focused on the young girl sleeping in the room upstairs.

"I… I'm sorry Kyosuke. But isn't Mrs. Yamashiro available to help tonight? She is a very well certified nurse and midwife. I believe she would be of more use to you in this situation. Why," Dr. Gensai feigned a chuckle, "I'm just an old doctor running a small clinic! I don't even remember the last time I helped deliver a baby."

The color drained from Kyosuke's face.

"But, but Dr. Gensai! Mrs…Mrs. Yamashiro is out of town. Every liable doctor is out of town besides you!"

The doctor's eyes held for a moment before suddenly breaking eye-contact from Kyosuke and walking to the counter against the wall. Pretending to tidy up some equipment still atop, he tried to cover his realized mistake with a slight kind of obtuseness.

"Oh. Why isn't that strange." He pondered aloud, "I thought they would've been back by now."

Kyosuke froze and stared at the doctor. He had known the doctor long enough to notice what the man was doing: he was trying to avoid leaving the clinic. But why would a man of such ethics as himself do such a thing? The earlier desperate furrow in his brow was suddenly replaced by an almost disgusted scowl of disbelief.

"Be back by now? They never planned to 'be back' from the beginning. After hearing that the revolution may spread to Tokyo, all of them fled! They ran away and left us all here to fight for them! They're useless cowards! We have just as much to lose as they do, but we didn't run! We refused to let fear govern our lives and chose to live like life was met to be lived!"

Kyosuke's rough hands curled into fists so tight that his knuckles bulged white.

"But they… they all fled like the cowards they are!"

Shocked at the outburst from the once gentle and passive man he knew, Dr. Gensai was rendered speechless. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could say now to comfort him. After a few intensely silent moments, Dr. Gensai inhaled deeply and finally spoke in a near inaudible whisper.

"Kyo – Kyosuke. Please calm down."

"DON'T tell me to calm down! I have a wife in labor, the revolution is waging closer everyday, and now you – the only doctor left in the area – has basically refused to help us! She's had two previous miscarriages and she could easily lose this baby as she did before! She could LOSE it Dr. Gensai! You of all people know this the best! And yet… yet… you've made it clear you won't come!"

Kyosuke paced aimlessly in small frantic circles before suddenly collapsing to his knees in anguish and shoved his face into the floor in a bow. His body shook as if the bones of a broken man rattled within him.

After a few painful seconds, his voice choked out in rasped fragments.

"Please Dr. Gensai. Please… I beg of you. Naomi and the baby are everything to me. I don't know what I'd do if something were to happen to them… I don't know what I'd do…"

Trailing off in broken sobs, Kyosuke gasped in shattered breaths.

Seeing the terrified and panic-stricken mess of a man before him, Dr. Gensai knew he had no choice but to go help with the delivery. Kaoru was his first priority as a guardian, but patients such as Kyosuke and his family were his first priority as a doctor. Kyosuke and Naomi were still newlyweds and to leave such an inexperienced couple without any proper medical assistance during such a difficult process would be extremely dangerous for both the mother and the unborn child. As a doctor, and as a just man, he couldn't allow such risks to happen.

But what was he going to do with Kaoru?

After a short moment of deliberation, Dr. Gensai finally sighed and responded.

"Alright Kyosuke.. Quickly go home and boil some hot water and prepare some clean sheets. I'll be there shortly."

Kyosuke's sobs immediately ceased and his head snapped back to meet the eyes of the old man before him. He brightened and the color washed back into his face.

"Are… are you…are you…?"

Dr. Gensai nodded solemnly.

Kyosuke jumped to his feet –

"Oh thank you, thank you Dr. Gensai! Thank you so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you! "

– and bolted out the doors.

The doctor sighed exasperatedly and tilted his head so that his glazed eyes met the ceiling. What was he going to do with Kaoru? Bringing her with him to the couple's house was completely out of the question; seeing something as graphic as childbirth would probably traumatize the poor thing more than she already was. But then again, he couldn't leave her alone. What if she wakes up while he's gone? What if something happens while he's out?

The old doctored groaned. He couldn't ignore his duty and go back on his agreement; that would be extremely unethical. But then again… what about Kaoru? It would also be unquestionably wrong as a guardian to leave her unattended.

Dr. Gensai knew that leaving Kaoru alone while he left was an enormous risk, but he also knew that he had absolutely no other choice. There were people that needed his immediate medical assistance, and as a doctor he could not refuse such services under such desperate circumstances.

Getting up and walking to the back room of the clinic, Dr. Gensai began to prepare his medical tools and some painkillers. The mechanics of his mind ticked away in interrupted pulsations while his body seemed to work in rigid robotics.

In the matter of only minutes, he had all of the necessary equipment packed and he was ready to go. After making sure Kaoru was still sound asleep, Dr. Gensai went back downstairs to the front doors and unlatched them. Pulling open the door and reluctantly walking out into the deserted night, the doctor quickly locked the door and made his way down the street.

Already feeling the crushing guilt within his heart, the old doctor prayed to the heavens.

'Oh please protect little Kaoru. Please don't go let anything happen to her while I'm gone.'

Back on the second floor of the Gensai clinic, soft murmurs could be heard in the silence of the house.

"Daddy… Daddy please… don't go…"

Kaoru's restless body tossed aside the bed's comforters and tiny beads of perspiration trailed down the side of her brow. The bright beams of moonlight seemed to have pierce through her eyelids and formed images of fierce flames in the young girl's mind. Unconsciously raising her arms toward the ceiling, her tiny hands reached out into the air and appeared to be frantically trying to grab hold of something, or more likely someone.

"Daddy… Come back… Please come back!" Tears flooded her face and her murmurs suddenly became desperate cries. "Daddy! Come back daddy! I don't want you to go see mommy yet! Don't leave me… don't leave me alone!" Her throat began to catch in harsh gasps and pained sobs. "Please don't leave me alone! I don't want to be alone..."

Suddenly, Kaoru's eyes snapped open and her torso bolted upright. As if on impulse, Kaoru immediately started to frantically scan the room for someone. Inquiring on her surroundings, Kaoru realized that she was still in Dr. Gensai's home. She grabbed one of the pillows next to her and, all while mentally commenting on her nightmare, tried to calm her breathing as she squeezed it against her chest.

'That was really scary…'

After only a few quiet moments, Kaoru realized that the bed was barren and began to wonder where her comforter went. Peering over the edge of the bed and finding the comforter, Kaoru smiled inwardly at her handy work. She couldn't remember the last time she completely kicked a giant comforter off the bed.

Crawling out of bed, she hugged the pillow against her side as she made her way out of the room. Kaoru decided to go downstairs for a glass of water.

Opening the door and walking out from the bright moonlit bedroom into the dark hallway suddenly made the hairs on Kaoru's back stand on end. She was scared of the dark and the hall was pitch black.

"Dr. Gensai?" she called down the hall and staircase, "Dr. Gensai? Are you downstairs?"

Slowly inching her way to the staircase, Kaoru looked over the edge and sighed in relief at the sight of some light being emitted from the clinic windows. Hopping down the steps and running into the clinic's front room below, Kaoru found herself alone in the room.

"Dr. Gensai?"

Kaoru ran to the far back of the clinic to the kitchen and reached against the wall to find the light-switch. She couldn't find it.

Now worried, and relatively scared, Kaoru decided to run to the other sides of the house in her search for the doctor. Turning around and about to run back, she suddenly noticed that a strange noise was coming from outside the kitchen window. Curious as to what the sound was, Kaoru quietly walked back to the kitchen and to the slightly opened window above. The strange hissed noise seemed to be the hushed voices of two men in the alley not too far behind the clinic.

Grabbing a small plastic chair in the corner of the kitchen and placing it beside the counter, Kaoru stepped onto the chair and climbed onto the countertop. Carefully, and quietly as she could, Kaoru crawled next to the window and sat between it and the kitchen sink. She then leaned in and strained her curious ears toward the deeply murmured conversation.

"… are you sure?"

"Yes, sir, I'm sure of it. I just saw him leave moments ago."

"And is someone on it!"

"Yes, sir, four of our best men are following him as we speak."

There is a momentary pause. One of the men let out a sinister cackle.

"Good. Make sure they terminate him before the night is over."

"Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed."

Two shadows glided over window and disappeared into silence. After hearing the men's footsteps fade away into the night, Kaoru exhaled a long-held breath and sat stiffly with her back plastered against the wall in fear. The way the men conspired between themselves and the way one man eerily cackled into the night made the goose-bumps appear on her skin. Terminate? Did they mean… kill? If so, if the "him" they were talking about had left moments ago…

Kaoru's gripped the pillow tightly and dug her fingers into its fabric. New tears began to fill her terrified eyes.

Where was Dr. Gensai?

Driven by a new daunting fear, Kaoru leapt off the counter and ran through the house.

"Dr. Gensai!"

She ran to the bathroom, Dr. Gensai wasn't there.

"Dr. Gensai where are you!"

She ran to the living room, he wasn't there either.

"Dr. Gensai! Dr. Gensai, Dr. Gensai!"

Kaoru was becoming desperate. She ran to his room. Dr. Gensai was still no where to be found.

Kaoru froze and stared at the room in front of her. The house was empty.

She had never felt more alone.

Making a full circle back to the front room, Kaoru climbed onto one of the chairs against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest. Where was Dr. Gensai? Why were those men after someone? Was Dr. Gensai their someone?

She whimpered softly into the silence. "Where is everyone? I…I don't want to be alone."

Kaoru buried her face into her knees and sobbed. She felt so alone, and yet no one knew it but herself. No one could hear her cry but herself.

Lifting her head up for a moment to grab the abandoned pillow on the floor, a glint caught Kaoru's attention from the corner of her eye. Wiping her nose with the back of her hand and glancing over to the space on the floor in front of her, Kaoru saw that the small dancing light before her was illuminated from the front window. She got up from her seat, snatched the pillow, and cautiously walked towards the window. Climbing onto another chair, Kaoru slipped her fingers through a section of the window's blinds and pushed them down.

The dancing light was from a firefly.

Kaoru watched the little light bounce and flutter in graceful loops in the air. She smiled softly and wiped her tears on her sleeve.

Firefly-watching had always been a favorite of hers. Kaoru remembered how her mother and father would always take her down the road to watch fireflies dance in the brush. Everything was so peaceful then.

Somehow temporarily forgetting her lonesomeness, Kaoru felt a sudden desire to go outside and catch the glowing bug. She hopped off the chair and walked to the clinic's wooden doors and tried the doorknob. The door was locked. Glancing through the window again to make sure that the firefly was still there, Kaoru decided to run back to the kitchen and climb through the open window.

Getting to the kitchen floor cabinets, Kaoru once again climbed the small plastic chair onto the countertop and scrambled to the open window. Kaoru then crouched on one leg and used the other to push open wider the window. The glass pane slid aside effortlessly and Kaoru climbed onto the pane.

Kaoru glanced down at the drop before her and hopped off the pane. Over the years, Dr. Gensai had planted so many various flower bushes next to his clinic that when she jumped out the window she landed quite safely in a colorful bed of leaves and petals. Hoping that the firefly hadn't already flown away, Kaoru brushed off the leaves and ran around the building into the street.

Scanning through the obscurely moonlit street for the firefly, Kaoru found it bouncing in the distance. It was slowly fluttering away down into another road.

Dismissing logic with her childish mind, Kaoru called after the little bug.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

It continued to float away.

"Wait! Wait for me firefly!"

Kaoru ran after it.

In pursuit of the lightening bug, Kaoru inattentively ran through various unfamiliar roads and alleyways. Turning corners and cutting across people's properties, she finally caught up to the little bug in an unknown wooded clearing.

"Aha!" Kaoru jumped and clamped her hands around the light. "I got you!"

Kaoru smiled at the glowing speck illuminating in her hands and then looked up to her surroundings. Her jaw dropped and a gasp escaped her throat.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of fireflies surrounded her. All the tiny specks of light danced among each other, flying in beautifully rhythmic circles through the branches and bushes. Stepping forward and dropping her hands limply in awe, Kaoru's bright azure eyes stared at the bewitching seen before her.

"It's so pretty," she whispered, "I've never seen so many!"

Lost in the moment, Kaoru giggled jovially and began spinning among the thousands of luminescent specks.

A faint sound of a child giggling suddenly caught the attention of a young man ghostly gaiting through the brush. Slighting straining his ears, the young man recognized the giggle as one of a little girl. Wrapping the flaps of his trench coat closer to his body, he sped up his pace into quick precise steps through the undergrowth.

He cursed under his breath.

"Shit… they're going to hear her. I can't let them hurt a child on my account."

Tearing through the trees in lightening speed, the he ran towards the sound.

A twig snapped. Kaoru halted and turned toward the noise. All she was met with was darkness.

Confused, Kaoru took a curious step toward the dark void in the bushes and spoke softly.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

A hair-raising chuckle hissed through the air.

"My, my, my, who do we have here?"

A tall lanky – yet muscular – figure stepped into the moonlight emitted from the tree canopy. The figure was dressed in a form-fitting raven ninja suit and a nightmarish black mask slashed with white. Taking another step closer to Kaoru, his terrifyingly fierce gaze pierced through the night and bore into Kaoru's soul.

The color drained from her fair skin and Kaoru cowered back in fear. The figure stopped his advances and diverted his gaze to the giant swarm of fireflies.

"So this was what you were so happy about. I can't say I don't agree with you; they are quite beautiful aren't they?"

He grinned and tilted his head in thought before turning his gaze back to Kaoru. Her heart stopped.

"May I ask what a cute little girl like you is doing by yourself at such an hour? Hmm?"

The figure stepped toward Kaoru and, in terror, she hastily stepped back. Not realizing that she was only a few feet from a large tree, Kaoru's foot suddenly caught on a root and she clumsily fell backwards. The abhorrent figure cackled.

"How rude. Didn't your mother ever tell you to reply to your elders when they speak to you?" He took another step. "Now, what is a cute little girl like you doing by yourself at such an hour?"

Kaoru cowered further and whimpered as she struggled to crawl backwards from the approaching threat.

"Ah. Still no answer? Well, I guess I have no choice but to teach you your manners!"

The figure lashed out with his talon-like hands. Kaoru screamed as she instinctively jumped back.

"S…Stop! Don't touch me!"

The figure chuckled sinisterly and proceeded to advance.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Giving orders now are we? Last time I checked," He reached to his waist and drew an enormous crescent blade. "I was calling the shots!"

In less than a split moment, the towering shadow lunged at Kaoru and all of her senses were overcome by the most indescribable terror. Shrieks tore through the silence of the night, and before Kaoru could even realize her own screams among them, she was covered in blood. On impulse she braced for pain, but there came none.

Not daring to see beyond the darkness of her own clenched lids, Kaoru heard a thunderous thump at her side and whimpered as the pungent stench of blood filled her nostrils. Was it her own? Kaoru did not wish to know. Hearing the twang of a blade and still sensing the presence of someone unknown, Kaoru flipped onto her abdomen and, upon opening her tear-filled eyes, began desperately scrambling away.

"Help! Dr. Gens – !"

A rough hand clasped onto her mouth and another flipped her little trembling body around. Refusing to meet the eyes of evil, Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut and struggled to bite on the hand covering her face. Kaoru started to fight back with her tiny arms and legs when a sudden, and yet soothing, voice broke her frantic thoughts of desperation.

"Calm down, little one, calm down! The bad man is gone."

Unwilling to cooperate, Kaoru continued to struggle in the man's grasp and began screaming into his hand. The voice spoke again; this time, a hint of frustration was evident.

"Stop screaming! There are more of them out there and if they hear you they'll find us! I promise, I won't hurt you!"

Although first reluctant to do so, Kaoru slowly opened her eyes.

What she saw before her was something she was not expecting.

Staring directly into her terrified cerulean eyes were the intense amber ones of a younger, and very handsome, man. Thick locks of sanguine hair were tied back highly on his crown, and loose strands fell past his brow and into his intense gaze. Staring into his fierce – yet soothing – eyes, Kaoru realized that the expression the young man wore on his face was not of malice, but of utmost concern. Her tense muscles relaxed and he smiled gently.

"Better?"

Kaoru nodded slightly.

A sudden and deep gargle erupted from aside them. Kaoru's head characteristically snapped to look but a hand quickly reached up and covered her eyes. The kind young man whispered to her to not look, but it was too late; Kaoru saw. Lying on his stomach was the hideous excuse of a man that had lunged at Kaoru seconds before. Covered and drowning in the blood emitting from the grotesque gash in his torso, he spoke.

"To think that… I have been defeated… by a sixteen year-old brat like you…Himura…the Battousai…"

The man sarcastically chortled in gargles before a last disgusting gag of suffocation tore through the night air. Everything then fell silent. Sensing a strange change in aura, Kaoru turned her eyes back to look at the boy holding her. Contrary to the defiant gaze he gave her seconds before, the boy's eyes now seemed downcast and lost deep in thought. Kaoru scanned his contemplative expression and noticed a sleek, precise cut bleeding on his left cheek. Compelled to wipe away this flaw from his beautiful appearance, Kaoru subconsciously reached out with her small fingers and brushed against it.

The boy's eyes suddenly lost their glaze and diverted back to look at the little girl caressing his unhealed wound. He reached up and stopped her hand with his. Minute drops of blood dribbled down her fingers.

"I'm glad you are feeling better, but unfortunately I feel we must get moving quickly. If we stay here much longer, more bad men might find us."

Seeing her eyes suddenly cloaked in renewed fear, the boy smiled kindly.

"Don't worry, I've got you." There was a slight pause as he turned his head to look around them; Kaoru followed his gaze. All around thousands of fireflies still illuminated the night with their rhythmic dance. The incident moments before hadn't phased them at all.

"Although," he continued thoughtfully, "I do wish we could stay longer and watch the fireflies. They are quite beautiful."

Wrapping his strong arms around her body, he stood up quickly and began sprinting through the woods with lightening speed. Expecting to feel the usual bounce of being casually carried, Kaoru was quite surprised to find that the young man's concise and rapid steps to be rather undeviating. Kaoru turned her head to look at her new surroundings and found that everything was zipping past them in blurs.

Without even thinking, Kaoru innocently blurted out in whisper.

"You're fast."

The young man chuckled inwardly at her comment and tightened his hold as he sharply veered right. The following moments passed between them in silence. Watching the placid expression on the teenage boy's face, Kaoru couldn't help feel intrigued by him. What was his name? Why was he alone like her? Did his parents go away like hers did? Caught up in her curious inquiries and the young man's lulling movements, Kaoru slowly felt weights tug at her eyelids and, unknowingly, nestled her exhausted head against his chest.

The young man felt the tiny girl gradually fall limp in his arms and grinned at her naïveté. Never would he imagine that anyone would fall asleep in the presence, let alone in the arms of, the notorious Battousai the manslayer. Glancing down at the girl's tranquil disposition, the young man couldn't help feel guilty for what he's put her through that night. He knew first hand that children her age shouldn't have to see such horrendous acts of violence and inhale the sinful fumes of death. He knew too well that such things, such terrible things, can easily change a person's soul. Or rather, take it away.

Turning to the left, the young man found a small deserted ravine and hopped in. He ran along the side of the ravine for a moment before finding an adequately sized den dug into the dirt wall. It would be suitable for them until he could figure out how to get the girl back home. Carefully laying the girl down onto a large rock in the corner of the den and making sure that she was sound asleep, he turned towards the den's opening and found the remains of an old bonfire.

Stepping out from the hole and sweeping aside the flap of his coat, the young man bent down and proceeded to collect some dried sticks. Grabbing only what was enough to keep Kaoru warm for a couple hours, he walked back to the den with the wood and threw the pieces onto the pile of cinders and ashes. The young man then grabbed a stone lying on ground and slightly withdrew the sword at his hip. The blade glinted in the darkness. He knelt down next to the bonfire and swiftly struck the stone against the hilt of the sword. Sparks ignited and immediately the chunks of wood caught on fire.

Collapsing with his back against the wall, the young man groaned under his breath. How many more interruptions will he get before he can finally arrive in Kyoto by his appointed date? Lord Katsura had specifically told him to be careful and stay under the radar during his stay at Tokyo; but that obviously has proven unsuccessful. If only Takasugi was able to come and clean up his bloody messes, then maybe things would've resulted differently and he wouldn't be so delayed. Sighing in frustration, he grabbed another chunk of wood and flung it into the fire.

Staring unflinchingly into the burning ambers before him, the young man's brows furrowed in thought as his eyes flared against the flames. How long will the carnage continue? How long will his sanity last? He reached up with his hand and touched the wound on his left cheek. The young man felt the blood dribble out as he moved his hand away and in front of his gaze. Watching the deep crimson streaks dry onto his skin, he couldn't help recalling how he had been cut several nights ago. The desperation and hatred that the man emitted through his eyes, his body, and his attacks were pathetic. He was so pathetic that killing him was made very easy; very easy until – until the final thrust.

Something in the man's last desperate attempt to cry out seemed to resonate through the blade as it plunged into his neck. What did he say? Why didn't he shriek in desperation or fear? Why did he cry?

Warriors are not supposed to cry.

The young man dropped his hand. His eyes darkened.

Warriors do not cry. They can't cry.

A/N: This prelude was too long so I separated it. I hope you've enjoyed it so far. If yes, please review!